Uroy Joseph of Liberta has been sentenced to 22 years in prison after being found guilty of assisting his cousin following the 2021 killing of Arthur James. High Court Justice Ann Marie Smith handed down the sentence on Monday, October 12.

Joseph was convicted of being an accessory to murder after the fact approximately two weeks before sentencing. Prosecutors alleged that he helped his cousin, Zamir O’Garro, between October 28 and 31, 2021, after James was killed.

During the trial, Joseph said he returned home and found James tied up, with both his cousins armed. He stated that he saw Zamir strike James on the head with a pipe. Joseph admitted helping to place James, who was wrapped in a sheet, into a vehicle, but maintained that he acted because Zamir threatened him.

Defence attorney Lawrence Daniels argued that Joseph acted under duress and questioned aspects of the prosecution’s evidence. Prosecutors relied on Joseph’s statement to police, a pipe containing blood that matched James, and video footage that reportedly showed Joseph and one of his former co-accused moving James’s vehicle.

James was last seen in Gray’s Farm on October 28, 2021. His burnt remains were discovered in bushes in Freetown two days later, and forensic testing confirmed his identity.

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